There will be rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, chicks, hens, turkeys, geese, ducks, sheep, goats and Kuzco the Llama along with plenty of CAKE, tea, coffee, a massive raffle and tunes from Flirt FM!

We will have FREE Tea or Coffee for the first 100 people to buy some cake kindly sponsored by the College Bar.

Pepsi will also be there on the day giving away FREE bottles of Pepsi Max Cherry!

Brian Slattery, an NUI Galway Psychology PhD student from Dublin, has scooped the top prize of €10,000 at the NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards. His winning project “Student Talks” is an online knowledge platform for students to communicate their ideas, connect with other students and find out about courses and careers.The creator of “Student Talks” was presented with his prize by local entrepreneurs Joanne Sweeney-Burke and Gill Carroll together with NUI Galway President, Dr James J. Browne and NUI Galway Students’ Union President, Sean Kearns.

The competition which is an initiative of NUI Galway Students’ Union is supported by NUI Galway and seeks to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship amongst students. In its four years, the competition has attracted entries from students studying a variety of subjects.

The two runner-up prizes of €5,000 were awarded to “The NUI Galway Student Managed Investment Fund” and “Loyal-T Stamped”. “The NUI Galway Student Managed Investment Fund” is a real-life financial portfolio operated under the guidance of industry experts and alumni for the benefit of the University and its students. NUI Galway students Martin Wietbrecht, Conor Hanniffy, Shane Reilly and Maurice Kelter are the team behind the Fund.

“Loyal-T Stamped” seeks to revolutionize the way we collect and redeem customer loyalty points through a visually striking user friendly application. NUI Galway students Nathan Regan, Fergal Walsh, Gearoid O’Connor and Robert Courtney developed this project.

Joanne Sweeney-Burke, who spoke at the awards ceremony said: “The drive, determination and enthusiasm of the students is fantastic. It is heartening to see that within NUI Galway the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. I would also like to congratulate the University and the Students’ Union for their vision in fostering the talents of tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.”

NUI Galway Students’ Union President, Sean Kearns said: “We have been overwhelmed by the number and standard of entries to the NUI Galway Student Enterprise Awards. The entrants are testament to the exceptional initiative and creativity of students in social and business enterprise. They show that students are both able and willing to create the big ideas that will help fuel our recovery. The Students’ Union is delighted to be in a position to facilitate some of these ideas as they take their first steps. I have no doubt but that we are working with the leaders of the future.”

The NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards competition is now entering its second stage as six finalists battle it out for a €20,000 investment fund to turn their ideas into reality.Now in its fourth year, the competition seeks to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among the students of NUI Galway in both social and business enterprise.

Each of the six finalists, all NUI Galway students, now receives investment capital of €500 to develop their initial ideas further. A series of workshops hosted by members of the business community over the coming weeks will let the finalists develop their ideas ahead of the final judging session in March. Galway City & County Enterprise Board, Online Marketing in Galway, Hammond Good Solicitors, Gareth Williams Accountant and Starlight Solutions are just some of the groups providing workshops.

Sean Kearns, President of NUI Galway Students’ Union, said:

“We have been overwhelmed by the number and standard of entries to the NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards again this year. The entrants are testament to the exceptional initiative and creativity of students in social and business enterprise. At a time when real innovation and flair is needed, students are leading the way in creating the big ideas that will help fuel our recovery. The Students’ Union is delighted with the support that the Awards have received from the local business community and the university.”

The final six projects are:

1.NUI Galway Student Managed Investment Fund

Operating a real-life financial portfolio under the guidance of industry experts and alumni, the NUI Galway Student Managed Investment Fund is an organisation managed by students, for the benefit of both the participants and the University as a whole.Martin Weitbrecht a final year BSc. Financial Mathematics & Economics student from Donegal, Conor Hanniffy a Masters in International Finance student from Athlone, Shane Reilly a final year BSc. Financial Mathematics & Economics student from Castlebar and Maurice Kelter a final year B.Comm (International) student from Tralee are behind the project.

2.Student Talks

‘Student Talks’ is an online knowledge platform for students to communicate their ideas, connect with other students and find out about courses and careers. Student Talks was created by Brian Slattery from Dublin who is completing his Psychology PhD.

3.Shuffleupagus

Margaret Tallott has developed Shuffleupagus which is a simple game for everyone who is learning Irish. Margaret is from Belmullet, Co. Mayo and is in the fourth year of her Phd in the Department of Management.

4.MyStudySheets™

MyStudySheets™ provides downloadable, course-specific study aids in mathematics to second and third-level students, aiming to radically improve student grasp of key concepts. MyStudySheets™ was developed by brothers Enoch and Issac Burke from Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Enoch is a 2nd Year BA student in History, German, Sociology & Politics and Isaac is in his 2nd Year of a PhD in Pure Mathematics.

5.Loyal-T Stamped

Loyal-T Stamped seeks to revolutionize the way we collect and redeem customer loyalty points through a visually striking user friendly application.Nathan Regan and Fergal Walsh are both final year Mechanical Engineering students and Galway natives. They have developed Loyal-T Stamped with Gearoid O’Connor a final year Computer Science and Information Technology student also from Galway.

6.The Big Yellow Thing

The Big Yellow Thing (originating from NUI, Galway) is an artistic project that aims to create modern and exclusive apparel for students, staff, visitors and alumni of all National Universities of Ireland. Michelle Campion from Tuam, Co. Galway developed The Big Yellow Thing and is studying the MSc. in Neuropharmacology.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony dinner on Saturday 29th of March in the College Bar, NUI Galway.